Author: Andrew Rogers

Germany booked their place at next year’s World Cup with a ruthless 6-0 demolition of Slovakia, securing top spot in their group. Four first-half goals — from Nick Woltemade, Serge Gnabry, and a Leroy Sané brace — put the match out of reach before the break. Slovakia, who beat Germany earlier in the campaign, were overwhelmed and now face a playoff. Second-half goals from Ridle Baku and 19-year-old debutant Assan Ouédraogo capped Germany’s dominant display. The Netherlands also qualified comfortably, beating Lithuania 4-0 in Amsterdam to finish three points clear in Group G. Tijjani Reijnders opened the scoring before Cody…

A sickness bug has disrupted Denmark’s preparations for their decisive World Cup qualifier against Scotland in Glasgow. Joachim Andersen and Rasmus Højlund missed the draw with Belarus due to illness, and a staff member has also fallen sick. Head coach Brian Riemer said the medical team is working to contain the issue and hopes to have a full squad available on Tuesday. Denmark lead Scotland by one point in Group C and need only a draw to qualify automatically. Scotland can reach their first World Cup since 1998 with a win. Steve Clarke urged the home crowd at Hampden Park…

Manchester City delivered a dominant performance at the Etihad, sweeping aside Manchester United 3-0 and tightening their grip at the top of the Women’s Super League. Goals from Rebecca Knaak, Bunny Shaw and Lauren Hemp sealed a statement win for Andrée Jeglertz’s side, who now sit four points clear at the summit. United, meanwhile, slumped to consecutive league defeats for the first time since May 2024, their thin squad looking fatigued after last week’s historic Champions League win over PSG. Marc Skinner admitted his team gifted City the goals but refused to rule out a title challenge, insisting reinforcements are…

Celtic are set to accelerate talks with Wilfried Nancy this weekend as the Columbus Crew manager emerges as the leading candidate to replace Brendan Rodgers. The Scottish champions have informed the MLS club of their intentions, and compensation is not expected to be an obstacle. Nancy is said to be keen on taking the job, with Celtic aiming to have him in place before their trip to St Mirren next weekend, which would end Martin O’Neill’s brief spell as caretaker. Nancy, who guided Columbus Crew to seventh in the Eastern Conference this season, fits Celtic’s preferred profile of a progressive,…

Patrick Bamford has joined Sheffield United, just seven months after leading an abusive chant about the club’s manager Chris Wilder during Leeds United’s promotion celebrations. The 32-year-old striker, a free agent since leaving Leeds in August, has signed a short-term deal with the Championship strugglers until January. Wilder, who managed the Blades to Premier League promotion in 2019, has opted to put past tensions aside as he looks to boost the league’s lowest-scoring attack. The pair’s rivalry dates back to 2018–19, when Wilder’s United pipped Leeds to automatic promotion. After Bamford’s chant went viral in April, both he and Leeds…

Barcelona have identified Harry Kane as their top target to succeed Robert Lewandowski next summer, with the club prepared to activate a £57m release clause in the striker’s Bayern Munich contract. The 32-year-old England captain has been a prolific success in Germany, scoring 108 goals in 113 games since his £100m move from Tottenham in 2023 and helping Bayern reclaim the Bundesliga title. Lewandowski, now 37, is out of contract in June, prompting Barça to seek a younger replacement to lead their attack. Despite Kane’s public openness to extending his deal at Bayern beyond 2027, a move to one of…

The Premier League has confirmed that Arsenal and Crystal Palace will have their league matches moved to ease scheduling pressure before their Carabao Cup quarter-final on Tuesday, 23 December. Originally set to play on Sunday, 21 December, Arsenal’s trip to Everton and Palace’s visit to Leeds United will now take place at 8pm on Saturday, 20 December. The change comes after both clubs requested more recovery time before their cup tie at the Emirates Stadium. Palace, who host KuPS in the Europa Conference League on 18 December, opted for a tighter turnaround between European and domestic matches rather than face…

Manchester City made a powerful title statement with a 3-0 win over Liverpool, cutting Arsenal’s lead to four points and extending their unbeaten run. Despite Erling Haaland missing an early penalty, the Norwegian opened the scoring soon after, netting his 19th goal of the season. A deflected Nico González strike doubled City’s lead before Jérémy Doku sealed the result with a brilliant curling finish after a dazzling performance on the left. Liverpool saw a potential equaliser from Virgil van Dijk ruled out by VAR for offside, but they were second-best throughout. City’s pressing, intensity, and midfield fluency overwhelmed the visitors,…

Harry Kane scored a stoppage-time header to earn Bayern Munich a 2-2 draw at Union Berlin, preserving their unbeaten season but ending their record winning streak. Bayern had trailed twice — first after Manuel Neuer’s error let in Danilho Doekhi’s shot, and again when Doekhi volleyed home late on — but Kane’s 13th league goal salvaged a point. Bayern stay six clear at the top after Leipzig’s 3-1 loss to Hoffenheim. “It wasn’t our best game, but we stayed focused,” Kane said. “We’ll take the point.” Elsewhere, Dortmund conceded a 97th-minute equaliser in a 1-1 draw at Hamburg, while in…

Ruben Amorim accused his Manchester United players of becoming “too comfortable” after letting a winning position slip in a chaotic 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur. United looked set for all three points after Bryan Mbeumo’s first-half strike put them ahead, but goals from Mathys Tel and Richarlison turned the game on its head before Matthijs de Ligt salvaged a point with a dramatic 96th-minute header. Despite extending their unbeaten run to five games, Amorim was far from satisfied. “We were comfortable in the game but I think we should do better, be more aggressive,” he said. “We need to feel…